Support for field-guns.



No. 669,367. Patented Mar. 5, IQOL, J. F. MEIGS &. R. P. STUUT.

SUPPORT FOR HELD GUNS.

(Application filed Oct. 10, 1900.] (m5 Model.) 7 5. Sheets-Sheet 1.

5 Shaats-Shaet 2.

anon dim No. 669,367. Y Patented Mar. 5, 190i.

J. F. MEIGS' 81. R. P. STGUT.

SUPPORT FDR FIELD GUNS.

(Application med Oct. 1o, 1900.

(No Model.)

' No. 669,367. Patented Mar,.-5, l90l.

.1. r. MEIGS & h. P. STOUT. SUPPORT FOR FIELD GUNS;

, (Application filed Oct. 10, 1900.

(No Model.) 5 Sheets8heet -3.

Swuzntonj No. 669,367. Patent-ed "Mar. 5,1904.

.1, F. MEIGS & a. P; sTtruT.

SUPPORT FOR FIELD GUNS.

(Application filed Oct. 10, 1960,; {No.MudeL; I 5 Sheets-Shut =4.

me ECKERT LIINDGRlIHiNG c0. msnmcmu. u. c.

. Patented NM! 5, I90! J. F. MEIGS & R. P STGUT. I

SUPPGRT FUR FIELU GUNS.

Sheet 5.

(Application filed Oct. 10, 1900.)

5 Sheets (No Model.)

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I l I l I l I I I l I l I I I IL UNITED STATss JOHN rons'inu nines l no nonnn'r r. s'ron'nor BETi'lLEI-IEM, PENN- swan mm, nsstcnons o "run SAM l PLACE.

BETHLEHEM srnnp' oon Anr,.-or';{

support-tron FIELD-GUNS. A

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No."669,36'7,' dated March 5, 1901. Application filed October 10 1900. Serial No. 32,636, (Ne i ig 1'!) all whont zit/gm concern:

Be it known that we) J OHN FORSYTH Mines and ltonnn'r i. S'roo'r, citizens of the United States, residing at Bethlehem, in the county of Northampton and-State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvcments in Supports for Field-Guns, of

which the following is a specification.

()urinvention relates to field-pieces, and especially to the mounting or support for the gun on its carriage; and to this end our in-.

vention consists in mounting the gun on the carriz tge so that it may be both rocked vertically and swung laterally on its forward support, as fully set forth hereinafter and as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whiel1- Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, of a field-piece, showingour improve-- ments. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 3 2, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation, onewcheekpiece of the carriage removed, showing our invention in connection with recoil means. Fig. i is a plan of Fig. 3; F g. 5, a transverse section on the line 5 5, Fig. at, and Fig. 6 a ver-.

' tical longitudinal section through one of the brake-cylinders. Fig. 7 is a vertical section illustrating a lliOdlilCi't-tlOll, and Fig. ,8 a sectional plan of Fig. 1.

The gun or barrel A, provided with any suitable breech mechanism, is supported on a carriage 13, having cheek-pieces 1 1, terminating in a trail and provided with an axle 3, to which'are fitted the wheels 3 3, as usual.

which, as shown, isan elevatingscrew 1t, turning in a rocking cross-piece 5, while the forthe rear support as a center and also to roel; at point of forward support. As shown, the

' the carriage.

forward support is a transverse rocking bar Uniformed at the ends into trunnions rocking in checks of the carriage and curved to cor of which the rear support is the center, the curved part of the bar-fitting a transverse opening in a block respond to part of a circle,

connected to or carrying the barrel or may be the main axle of the carriage. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the block E is a projection on the barrel. In Figs. 3 and t it is a cradle in which the barrel slides. In either case the gun can move or swing laterally to changethe azimuth and also rock ppon or with the forward support under the action of the elevating means G.

Any suitable means may be employed to shift or move the gun laterally in respect to As shown, the bar 6 is provided with rack-teeth 10, with which engages a pinion 12, turned directly or indirectly from a shaft 13, provided with a hand wheel 1t and turning in bearings of the block E.

Where recoil means are not required, the block E may be a fixed attachment to or projection of the barrel; but where it is desired to reduce the effects of recoil the block E, as shown in Figs. 3, 4t, 5, and 6, may be a cradle which is supported by the front and rear supports, as described, and the barrel slides on this cradle.

Any suitable recoil-brake means may be cmployed--as, for instance, a liquid, gas, or sp'ring--in one or more openings .1 in the cradie, and pistons 15 on rods 16 fit the openings and bear on the springs, or other means for gradually accumulating resistance to the rearward movement of the gun, the rods 16 being connected at their rear ends with the barrel. 13y thus forming the compressor or recoil chambers in the cradlethe number of elements in the structure is reduced.

In Figs. 7 and S the forward support is in fact the axle, which may be curved, or, as shown, may be a straight cross-bar o with end trunnions, which may be prolonged to form the axles of the wheels, and the guna-radle E has a stud 2O fitted to a socket in a slide 21, sliding on' the cross-bar o under the action of the hand-wheel l1 and gearing beforejdescribed. in this case the gun moves slightly forward and back in swinging to either side and the rear su pportingsorew accommodates itself to this movement, as it is supported in the rocking cross-bar 5 and has a universal jointed connection with the cradle. Of course the same results would be secured, except reducing recoil,if the cradle were dispensed with,

and the barrel rested directly on the slide 21. ltrwill be seen that in each form and arraing ement illustrated-the barrel, or the barrel and its cradle, has two movements independent of the carriage: first, a movement of elevation, and, second, an azim uthmovem ent, thus permitting a change of range and train with out any adjustment of the carriage.

Nithout limiting ourselves to any specific construction of supportingdevices, we claim as our inventionv 1. The combination with a gun-carriage, of a rear and a forward support for the gun, a gun supported on said forward support to have a rocking movement and also a trans verse movement about the rear supportns a center, and means for imparting such movements, substantially as set forth. I

2. The combination with a gnu-carriage, of

, an elevating-screw for the breech of the gun,

cradle, a gun movable on the cradle longitudinally, supports on the carriage for the for ward and rear ends of the cradle, and means for moving the cradle laterally about the rear support as a pivot and for rocking the same, substantially as set forth.

-5. The com bination with a gun-carriage, of a cradle, a gun longitudinally movable on the cradle, recoil-cylintlers on the cradle, means therein for checking the recoil of the gun, an elevating-screw at the. rear of the cradle, a forward support for the cradle, and means for tn oving the forward end of the cradle laterally about said screw as a center, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with a gtnrcarriage and itsgun, of an axle constituting a forward support for the gun, a rear support for the gun, means for moving the gun laterally on its forward support about the rear support as a center and independently of the carriage, and means for changitr the elevation at the rear, substantially as set forth.

7. The combination with a on n and its carriage, of forward and rear supports for the gun, the forward support curved to correspond to apart of a circle having the roar sup port as its center, and means for moving the gun laterally on its forward support and for changing the elevation at the roar, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN FORSYTII MEIGS. ROBERT P. STOUT. Witnesses:

JAMES KERNAN, G. O. BRUNNER. 

